Hodges



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER B. TURNER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY C. HODGES,CHARLES C. HODGES, CLARENCE B. HODGES, AND CHARLES H.

HODGES, OF SAME PLACE.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,417, datedSeptember 29, 1885.

Application filed June 4, 1885.

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHESTER B. TURNER, of Detroit, in the county ofWayne and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvementsin SteamwEngines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in theconstruction of stearn-engines of the double or compound type.

The novelty consists in the peculiar combination and the constructionand arrangement of parts, hereinafter-more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, A represents what may be termed thedirect-pressure cylinder," and B the other cylinder,which may be termedthe expansioncylinder.

These cylinders are of equal length, but the,

latter is of nearly or quite double the interior area of the former, andeach is provided with heads C C, stuffing-boxes D D, pistons E E,

and piston-rods F F, of any of the known and approved constructions.

H is a steam-chest. having an inlet steamport, G, and ports I and 1 leadfrom this steam -chest, the former into one end of the cylinder A andthe latter into the opposite end of the same.

J is a slide-valve connected with an eccentricrod, K, by means of which,in its reciprocation, it will alternately close and disclose the ports Iand. 1.

Ports L and L lead from the cylinder A, one at either end thereof, tothe valve-chambers M and M, from which other ports, N and and N, lead tothe ends of the cylinder B, and

ports I and P lead to the chamber Q, which is located between thevalvechambers M and M, and in the dividing-wall between the twocylinders A and B, and which has an exhaustport, R, leading to the outeratmosphere.

The valve-chambers M and M are circular in form, and are provided withrotating wingvalves S and S, pivotally supported in their respectivechambers, as shown, upon shafts T and T, suitably journaled in the wallsof their (No model.)

respective chambers. Each of these shafts T and T has cranks U and Usecured to its respective and projecting ends, which are provided withcrank-pins V and V, respectively, such crank-pins being secured to theconnecting-rod, which is formed of two parts, \V and W, which areconnected together by means of an adj usting-nut, X, which has a rightand left interior thread to engage with exterior threads, 11 and b, uponthe two parts of the connecting-rod. This rod is secured to the end ofan eccentric-rod, Y, connecting with an cecentric upon the main shaft,which is not shown. The valves S and S are so set that in thereciprocation of the rod which operates them they will alternately closeor disclose the ports N and N and P and P, as more fully described inthe description of the operation.

It will be observed in the drawings that the piston in the cylinder Aisat half-stroke,with steam entering the port 1, while in the cylinder Bthe piston is at the end of its stroke, with the ports Nand Popen toallow the steam in such cylinder, upon the commencement of thereturn-stroke of its piston, to pass to the exhaust. As the piston E inthe cylinder A progresses in the direction of the arrow from theposition shown, the valve in the steamchest gradually closes the port I,and the valve in the valve-chamber M discloses the port N, so that thesteam in the cylinder A, which is .actuating the piston under theboiler-pressure,

will pass to the cylinder B,and start its piston E in its travel. By thetime the piston E has reached the end of its stroke in the directionindicated by the arrow, the port I has been closed and the port Idisclosed, and now the steam which has driven the piston E to the end ofits stroke is passing to the cylinder B, and compelling, by expansion,the piston thereof to complete its stroke. this piston being athalf-stroke when the piston in the other cylinder is at the end of thestroke. Thus it will be seen that the steam may be worked by directpressure in both cylinders simultaneously while both pistons aretraveling in the same direction. When the parts are in the positionshown in the di awings, with the piston in the cylinder A advancing inthe direction of the arrow, there is no opportunity for the steam topass through the valvechamber M to the other cylinder, or to theexhaust; hence it is compressed between the cylinder A and its head.Now, when this com pression is sufficient to overcome the boilerpressureupon the valve in the steam-chest, this compressed steam will passthrough the port I, and raising the check valve 0 in the slide-valve inthe steam-chest, discharge such steam in the steam-chest, where it willpass with the live steam through the port I and not be lost.

I have illustrated but a single figure, but that,with the followingdescription of the operation,will make the invention apparent. In thefigure the piston E is shown to have made one-half its upstroke, and thepiston E to have completed its downward stroke. The valve-eccentrics areso arranged as to quickly open the port N between the two cylinders A Bat about this point of the operation, but the feed-valve J does not cloe the port 1 until the piston E has about completed its stroke, so thatas the piston E passes from the point shown in the drawing, it hasbehind it, in cylinder A, the steam from the chest at approximateboiler-pressure, as also has piston E, the port N being open. The port Icloses and the port I discloses when the piston E has finished itsstroke; but the port N is not closed so quickly, and allows steam fromthe lower part of the cylinder A, upon a large part of the first half ofthe downward stroke of the piston E, to pass from said cylinder tocylinder B, behind piston E, to make that piston complete its stroke.The port I is closed slightly before either the piston E has madeone-half its downward stroke or the piston F has completed its upstroke,and the expansion of the steam in B finishes the stroke of piston E,where the reduced pressure in cylinder A makes a cushion,any surpluspassing back to steam-chest, as described. Thus the first of the strokeof piston E and nearly the whole stroke of piston E in either directionare made by steam at nearly boiler-press ure passing from A to B afterpiston E has made one-half its stroke, and continuing to thus pass untilsaid piston has returned to that position, the cylinder A for the firsthalf of the stroke of piston E exhausting into cylinder B.

A cut-01f may be arranged that will cut off the steam at any desiredpoint in the stroke of the piston in the cylinder A, so that the enginecan be compounded, working live steam in the smaller and steam byexpansion in the larger cylinder, if desired.

I do not desire in this application to claim the check-valve in aslide-valve, as I propose to make that specific feature thesubject-matter of another application.

I am aware of Patent No. 321,325, granted to I. A. Turner June 30,1885.My invention is designed as an improvement upon the construction thereinset forth.

I am aware of the patent to Massey, No. 252,485, and make no claim tothe construction shown therein as forming part of my invention.

"What I claim as my invention is 1. In a steam-engine, the combination,with two cylinders, as A B, arranged side by side, and havingvalve-chambers and connectingports near each end, of valves, as M M,arranged and operated automatically'to admit steam from one cylinder tothe other after the piston in the first has made a part of its stroke,as set forth.

2. In a steam-engine, the combination,with two cylinders, as A B,arranged side by side, with an exhaust-chamber between and havingconnecting-ports, as L N I L N P, of valves M M,'arranged between thecylinders, near each end, and operated automatically to open the passageto the exhaust-chamber, and between the two cylinders alternately, asset forth.

3. In a steam-engine, the combinatiomwith two cylinders of differentareas, arranged side by side, and having connecting-channels near eachend, of an exhaust-chamber arranged between the two cylinders, andhaving connections wit-h the connectingchannels between the cylindersand valves arranged to control such passages, as set forth.

4. A double engine constructed substantially as described, and having anexhaust chamber located between the two cylinders, in combination withvalve-chambers located in each end of such exhaust-chamber, valveslocated in such valve-chambers, such valves being connected together bymeans of an ad justable connecting-rod operated by an eccentric upon themain shaft, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. A steam-engine having two cylinders of different areas side by side,with heads, pistons, piston-heads, and stufling-boxes, in combinationwith a steanrchest, H, having an inlet-port, G, and a slide-valve, portsI I L L N N P P, valve-chambers M M, located at either end of theexhaust-chamber Q, and in the division-wall between such two cylinders,valves S, connected with the adjustable connecting-rod formed of the twoparts W WV, adjustabl y secured together by the nut X, the parts beingconstructed, arranged, and operating, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

GHESTER B. TURNER.

\Vitnesses:

H. S. SPRAGUE, CHARLES J. HUNT

